- Gas prices in the European market rise 20% after the Russian supply cut to Poland and Bulgaria.
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| Russia fulfills its energy "blackmail": it closes the gas tap to Poland and Bulgaria and causes its price to skyrocket. / Pixabay |
The Russian gas giant Gazprom suspended this Wednesday, the 63rd day of the war in Ukraine, "completely" the supply of gas to Poland and Bulgaria for not paying fuel deliveries in rubles. The company, controlled by the Russian state, alleged that Bulgaria and Poland had failed to meet their payment obligations.
European countries refuse to pay Russia in rubles, as established to be done since April because they consider that they cannot control the value of the exchange to euros, the usual currency.
The first cuts in the supply of Russian gas to Europe have had an immediate and direct impact on a rise in the price of gas. According to the European business press, prices rose 20% to 117 euros per megawatt-hour in early trading on Wednesday. This means that it is charged up to seven times more expensive than a year ago, according to the Financial Times.
The EU looks for alternative supplies
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has immediately come out to denounce Russia's "unacceptable blackmail" with the cutoff of gas supplies to Poland and Bulgaria for refusing to pay in rubles.
"Gazprom's announcement that it unilaterally ceases the shipment of gas to its customers in Europe is another attempt by Russia to use gas as an instrument of blackmail. It is unjustified and unacceptable," the head of the Community Executive assured in a statement.
In any case, the German has stressed that the European bloc is "ready for this scenario" and has highlighted the coordination between the European Commission and the Member States for contingency plans that ensure alternative supplies and greater storage.
This Wednesday a European meeting is called to respond to the situation, Von der Leyen reported. "We are mapping out our coordinated EU response. We will also continue to work with international partners to ensure alternative flows and I will continue to work with European and world leaders to ensure the security of energy supply in Europe," he reiterated.
The UK has also closed ranks with Poland and Bulgaria. Boris Johnson's government has assured from the start that the "intimidating behavior" of Vladimir Putin in his "energy blackmail" cannot be allowed.
Reassurance messages
The governments of Bulgaria and Poland have sent messages of calm to their populations, as a result of the confirmation of the cut of Russian gas.
The Bulgarian Prime Minister, Kiril Petkov, confirmed in parliamentary headquarters that in no case will the quantities of gas for private consumers in the Balkan country be reduced, which covers up to 90% of its supply needs from Russia.
Among the Bulgarian solutions is the natural gas interconnector with Greece, which both countries hope to have operational after the summer. This is a gas connection linking the Greek city of Komotini (north) with the Bulgarian city of Stara Zagora (center), a project that has been postponed several times in recent years but has been streamlined last December.
The Minister of Climate and Environment of Poland, Anna Moskwa, assured this Wednesday on the radio that "stocks of gas stored in Poland are around 80%" and that, for the moment, there is no need to look for new supplies. "We have the Czech interconnector, and at some point, we would turn to the Lithuanian interconnector," he said. "There will be no shortage of gas, supplies are assured," the minister emphasized.
Poland and Bulgaria could be just the first countries to stop receiving Russian gas. The president of the State Duma or Chamber of Deputies of Russia, Viacheslav Volodin, welcomed today the cutoff of supplies and asked to extend the measure to "other unfriendly countries."
Will it be the next Slovakia? The Slovakian government assured this Wednesday that it is prepared to face "obstructions" of the Russian gas supply, as is the case in Poland. Prime Minister Eduard Heger assured that Slovakia will maintain gas payments "in euros, in accordance with the agreed rules and the recommendations of the European Commission."